Double Trouble
by Artanyus
Summary: The ARC team must deal with the most unlikely scenario. Anomalies have appeared inside the ARC, but due to the location, the detector only shows one.
1. Improbable, not Impossible

**Improbable not Impossible**

The damp, dark sub-basement of the Anomaly Research Center is rarely visited except for when necessary. Few lights cast light down there to conserve energy, being turned on only whenever a brave soul dared venture down to do work. Somewhere in the darker corners water dripped from the damp pipes that ran along the ceiling, echoing much like water dripping from rocks in a cave would. From one of the passage ways, a soft golden light shone, casting unfamiliar shadows across the walls.

The glowing light pulsed as a creature oozed forth, a wet slurping sound issuing from it as it moved across the concrete floor. It paused for a moment, sensing that its environment had changed and made sure it was safe to proceed. After a few minutes, it continued forth, investigating the new surroundings that were different, yet felt the same as where it came from. It left the glowing floating shards of light behind, and began to explore its new surroundings, careless of the obstacles in its way as they seemed easy to move.

At the same time, several floors up another object appeared. The glowing shards of light flashed into existence, an opening to another time. Inside the lab, all metallic objects that were not bolted down or too heavy flew into the anomaly. From the other side, growls filled the air. A large cat padded through from its own time into the sterile lab. Moments later four more cats arrived, following the leader of the pack as it continued to hunt. They spread out around the room, sniffing everything they could, before laying down in wait for their unsuspecting prey to arrive.

Within minutes of the anomaly's appearance the anomaly detector went off. Connor raced over to the detector and stared at the screen waiting for it to pinpoint the anomaly's location. As soon as it displayed the location he stared at in unbelieving what the computer was showing him. He checked and double checked the system, and began running a diagnostic to make sure the computer was running properly.

"What have we got Connor?" Danny asked as he approached the boy.

"We've got an anomaly," Connor replied. "That just can't be," he muttered to himself as he continued to run his hands over the keyboard.

"Where is it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Connor stated. "I'm running a diagnostic to make sure the location is correct."

"What the hell is going on?" Lester demanded. "Why haven't you left to contain the anomaly?"

"Um…about that…" Connor started, baffled by the readings. "We don't have to go anywhere for this anomaly."

"What are you talking about? This had better not be a false alarm."

"This is not a false alarm," Connor asserted. "This is the real thing. The problem at hand is the detector is saying the anomaly is here."

"That's impossible. This site was determined to clear of any potential anomalies." Lester declared. "Sure there is a problem with the equipment."

"One can never be certain as to when or where an anomaly will appear," Cutter stated as he walked into the room. "While we are getting better at tracking and trying to predict their appearance, it is impossible to say that any place is safe from anomalies."

"I've checked and rechecked the system," Connor announced. "The anomaly is here somewhere."

"Then quit talking and start looking," Lester called out gruffly.

Danny picked up a hand held tracking unit and tossed it over to Nick. "You heard the man," he said. "Best bet is to split into teams and start looking."

Cutter stared at the man a moment, upset that his teammate would take the lead, before he nodded his head. Nick knew it was just Danny doing what he had been trained to do. He noticed that Danny was looking at him awaiting his further instructions, and began to formulate an idea.

"Danny is right," he stated. "By splitting up we can cover more ground and find the anomaly faster before anyone gets hurt." He looked at his team and smiled inwardly. "Danny, take Connor and some troops with you and start on the second level." He turned to Becker, "Captain, you and you're team will accompany Abby and me, we'll start in the basement and work our way up."

"Lieutenant Johnson will accompany Danny with his team," Becker commanded drawing attention to a burly man stationed just inside the room by the door.


	2. Unexpected Surprises

**Unexpected surprises**

Connor accepted the torch Captain Becker passed to him and Nick while Abby and Danny loaded a dart into their tranquilizer guns. He didn't protest, recalling the incident in the mall when he accidentally shot Abby with a tranquilizer. Outside, Johnson shifted nervously as Lester approached with a scowl.

"How long does it take to get ready?" Lester asked impatiently, barging into the room.

"We're going now," Nick replied, pushing past the man.

Danny and the others followed Nick out into the hall before the separated into their respective groups. Nick picked up a handheld detector and checked the anomaly's signal. He led his team down the hall and stopped before a door leading into the basement. He looked at Abby first before turning to Becker stating, "We'll start down here. There seems to be a signal coming from down there."

"Damp and dark, just the way I like it," Becker quipped sarcastically. "I wonder what would come through if the anomaly is down there."

"If it is down there, we best be on our guard," Cutter added. "After you, Captain."

Becker led the way with his men, followed closely by Nick and Abby as they descended into the damp, poorly lit basement. Nick flipped on his torch, casting a narrow beam of light down into the darkness. At the bottom, Nick searched for a light switch, but found none.

"Where are the lights?" he inquired.

"No switches down here, it's controlled by motion sensors and a manual override that the maintenance teams have access to," Becker explained.

"Isn't that just great," Cutter stated.

The team moved cautiously through the low light, alert to anything that would appear out of the ordinary. They followed the signal, through the corridor checking any possible locations the anomaly might be, to no avail. When they reached another door Nick and Abby stopped, looking to each other before pulling it open. On the other side was just another set of stairs.

"Where do these stairs go?" Abby inquired.

"There is a sub-basement, nothing really down there except back-up generators and things like that," Becker replied. He looked from Nick to Abby then asked, "We searching down there too?"

Cutter looked over at the young man, "We can't be too careful, which means we're going down."

Becker sighed softly and started down the staircase into the darkness. At the bottom they fanned out into the darkness. "Before you even ask, no lights, its all automated down here," Becker announced. "What little light there is, that's all there is."

"Wonderful," Nick muttered.

The team proceeded with their search, Nick leading the way. Abby slipped to the rear, watching behind them to make sure nothing caught them by surprise. As the team moved forward, she paused momentarily thinking she heard something in the shadows. She stopped and listened, alert for any sounds that would be out of the ordinary.

Ahead of her the team moved forward, Abby fell behind. Again she heard the soft slurp of something, and spun in the direction of the sound. As she did so a large shadow swept out in front of her, catching her on the face and knocking her back. She cried out as she hit he ground, a soft thud echoing as her head hit he concrete floor.

Abby opened her eyes, and saw the soft lights above her in triplicate. Her head throbbed and any attempts to move her head resulted in an explosion of agony with blackness creeping in on her vision.

"Abby?" Cutter called out, "Where are you?"

She tried to answer but all that came out was a groan. In the distance she could hear footsteps coming closer, but the object that caught her attention was a lot closer and uglier. It moved away out of her field of vision before coming back at her, a gaping maw leading the way.

Abby screamed, her hands coming up defensively, but with her vision blurred her efforts were ineffective as the maw clamped down on her arm, hundreds of tiny teeth sinking into her arm. Fiery agony erupted along her arm, and her cries of pain were renewed.

Moments later gunshots rang out, and the creature let go of Abby's arm.

"Abby," Cutter cried, "hang in there Abby." He reached down to check for a pulse and noted the dark stain on her platinum blonde hair. "Becker, get her out of here," he commanded.

"The anomaly?" she muttered softly.

"We found it," Nick replied. "It's under control, that's all you need to know."

He reached out, trying to comfort her as best as he could while Becker instructed his men on what to do to keep the area secure. Nick kept a close on Abby, trying to keep her awake, but after a few minutes she passed out. With a gentle hand on his shoulder, Nick stood up and moved out of the way as Becker reached out, gently taking Abby in his arms and carried her out.

As Becker came up with Abby in his arms, Lester looked over at him scowling, "What happened to her?"

"A worm got her," Becker replied sharply. "We found the anomaly though and it is contained," he added. "What about Danny and the others?"

"Don't ask," Lester snapped, walking off.


	3. An Unfortunate Accident

**An unfortunate accident**

As Cutter led Abby and the others down the corridor to begin their search, Danny turned and led his team in the opposite direction. Moving through the large open room housing the detector, they went up to the second floor where Lester's office was and began their search, checking every room and office, except Lester's. Using Connor's handheld device to guide them, the team would surely find the anomaly in short order.

With many of the office doors open, they were searched quickly and left as they were, and while Danny believed the anomaly would have been noticed had it appeared in a frequented location, he remitted to the demands of an uptight bureaucrat than logic. He tried to figure out why Connor's handheld detector wasn't doing much, but then again, the boy seemed distracted as they walked side by side. Connor chatted incessantly, still baffled by the appearance of an anomaly inside the ARC, yet excited as well.

As they entered the last hall on the second floor Danny looked at the boy. "Connor, can you be quiet for a change. At the rate you've been going I'm amazed we haven't scared the creatures out of hiding," Danny stated.

Connor stopped talking a moment pondering the older man's words. "If that were the case we'd have found the anomaly already," he replied, "which means that it's not up here."

"What I think Quinn is trying to say is, 'Shut up boy'," Johnson stated gruffly, mildly annoyed by the boys constant chattering.

Connor stared at Danny harshly.

"I didn't mean it like that, Connor," Danny said apologetically, placing a comforting hand on the boys shoulder. "Don't mind him too much. He's a soldier, so he's going to put things gruffly to get his point across."

They traversed the hall, and returned to the ground floor to continue their search. Within moments, Connor's device began to report a stronger signal. They followed the sound, looking and listening for where the anomaly might be located. They checked every lab and office, the locker room and armory and still found nothing right away.

From inside one of the labs, the pack of Smilodons that had come through the anomaly waited, alert to the sound of all footsteps that approached and faded. Though no one had come in, let alone reported the presence of the cats, they could sense that their patience was about to pay off. The lead cat, positioned perfectly to strike any unwary prey tensed, preparing to leap at a moment's notice, sniffing the air to make sure nothing was amiss.

Outside the lab, Connor began chatting away again, his excitement taking over once more. "I wonder if anything might have come through the anomaly," he stated. "Heck, I would love to know what time period it connects to."

The device in Connor's hand was emitting a steady signal now, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the anomaly. "We're close," Connor announced. "It's around here somewhere."

Johnson put his hand on a door handle and twisted, pushing the door open. His team swept past him into the room, alert for any possible outcome only to find it empty. "Nothing here," the man stated. "Just another empty room." He turned to look at Connor again. "Are you sure there is an anomaly inside the ARC?"

"Positive," the boy answered. "I checked it several times, just to make sure it wasn't a false alarm or something like that. There is an anomaly here."

Johnson sighed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

They regrouped and moved on to the next room, with Connor in the lead. Without thinking he reached out for the handle and twisted, pushing the door open. Inside the room, the cats paused ready to spring into action as the door silently swung open, casting a new light into the shadows. As Connor stepped in the cat struck.

Its attack was silent and deadly, and happened so fast the boy didn't even see the flying ball of fur crash into him at first. The cat's claws raked down his chest as its weight dragged the boy to the floor, the door sliding shut a bit to block the attack. Growls filled the air, as several soldiers rushed in to aid the boy but were quickly dispatched by the rest of the pack. Screams filled the air, mingling with the roars as blood splashed across the door. Connor struggled to fight back, smacking the cat in the face several times, until the great maw clamped down on his shoulder.

"Connor!" Danny shouted as he tried to push the door in. He shoved his gun in through the opening and felt something pull on it. Without thinking he pulled the trigger and was rewarded with a whimper telling him he had hit something. Unfortunately the weight against the door did not let up.

"We need medics down here now!" Johnson shouted into a radio. "I've got wounded."

Danny continued to kick and push on the door, hoping to get it open far enough to see what was going on, but every time he did so, more screams echoed into the hallway as blood began to run under the door.

"Move!" Johnson ordered, shoving Danny out of the way before leveling his weapon at the door.

"Wait, you might hit Connor," Danny cried out.

Johnson's reply came from his weapon as bullets sprayed into and through the door, lacing into the cat that clawed and snapped at the bloody body beneath it. Roaring in defiance the cat leapt off the boy's body, retreating back through the anomaly. Seeing their leader retreat, limping and bleeding, the rest of the pack followed while bullets whizzed past.

As soon as Johnson stopped shooting Danny raced through the door and nearly slipped on the blood slick floor. Spying Connor's body he collapsed to the ground and pulled the boy close, tears running down his face. He watched as Johnson walked in, his glare straight ahead passing over the pair on the floor, aimed at the anomaly watching and waiting.

"Stay with me kid," Danny cried out, cradling the limp form in his arms. "You have to stay with me, you hear." He looked up at the soldier. "This wasn't supposed to happen."


	4. A Tender Reunion

**A Tender Reunion**

Danny sat on the floor, his back against the wall, staring at the anomaly. In his mind the scene replayed over and over again, paralyzing him. He had let the medics take Connor from him reluctantly, knowing that if he didn't, the boy would not survive. Even Lester tried unsuccessfully to get Danny to tell him what happened, refusing to leave until he was told what had happened. Thankfully, Lieutenant Johnson offered to tell Lester what had occurred, walking away with the man.

He vaguely heard Becker's voice in the hall, telling Lester what happened to Abby. Danny heard the frustration in Lester's voice, and noted the fact that Abby was being taken to the hospital as well. None of it mattered much though, for Danny, none of this should have happened.

"Danny, you alright?" Becker inquired, poking his head in to the lab.

Danny didn't respond.

"Look, it's not your fault," Becker consoled. "It could have been anyone, maybe even you. He'll pull through."

Danny looked over at him and smiled weakly. "I hope he does."

"I'm going to go ahead and followed the medics to the hospital," Becker added. "If you want to come with, I'll have Johnson watch this anomaly."

"No thanks," Danny replied. "I'll stay here for now."

With that he was alone once more, just him and the anomaly. He closed his eyes for a moment, and did not notice the young cub that had come through the anomaly. Softly it padded over to him, sniffing his bloodstained hands before nuzzling against his arm, purring softly. Opening his eyes, Danny looked at the source of the warm furry animal as it nestled against him, apparently trying to get comfortable.

"No you don't," he said softly, moving his arm away from the cat. "You can't stay here. If anyone sees you they will shoot you."

The cat looked up at him and let out a mewling sound, as if protesting the man's argument. This time it jumped into his lap and looked at him for a moment before lying down. Danny sighed and let it be, reaching out to gently stroke the cat that now lay in his lap. "You can stay only for a few minutes," he whispered, scratching the cats head. "Then you have to go back."

***

Abby awoke a day later, her head throbbing as she blinked against the light, and saw Nick sitting beside her bed. She started to sit up, but stopped when the whole room began to swim. Nick placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly at her.

"Where am I?" she asked meekly, trying to ignore the pain.

"You're in the hospital," Nick answered.

"Last thing I remember was something attacking me."

"It was a giant worm," Cutter stated. "You're wounds are healing nicely, though you're going to have to stay in bed for another day. You hit your head on the concrete floor, and suffered a mild concussion."

"That explains the headache I have," Abby replied. Then it hit her, "Where's Connor?"

"He's back at the flat making sure Rex and the others are doing alright," Nick lied.

Abby sensed something wasn't right. Cutter's response didn't fit with Connor's habits. He would usually be at her side. Abby glared at her boss, knowing that he was hiding something from her. "Somehow I can't see Connor doing that," she stated. "He would rather be here, than there. So where is he really?"

Nick sighed and looked away. "He's in the ICU."

"What?!" Abby shot bolt upright, fighting against the dizziness that washed over her. "What happened?"

"I don't know the details, he was seriously hurt though," Nick stated softly.

Abby struggled to get out of bed, but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her in place. As Abby lay down again, she felt the coldness of the pillow on her head. She reached up and felt the bandage on the bare spot on her head.

"You hit your head hard, you were bleeding. Rest for now." Nick instructed. "I'll come get you later."

Abby listened reluctantly, her eyes drifting closed. Her thoughts were of Connor, wondering what had happened. She saw the concern in Nick's eyes. With her thoughts on Connor she fell asleep once more.

In the ICU ward, Becker looked up from the bandaged body sensing another presence. Leaning against the door, Danny looked at the captain then over to Connor. A look of determination shadowed his face, and he walked in.

"Go get something to eat," Danny said. "I'll stay with him for a while."

"You sure?" Becker inquired.

"Go on, you need a break."

The soldier stood and left the room, leaving Danny to replace him. He sat down in the vacant chair and stared at the young man. "Come on Connor, you've got to make it," he said in the stillness. "You're a strong person. You can do it."

As the hours slipped by, Danny remained seated near the young man, waiting for some sign of life. As visiting hours came to an end, Nick stopped in and checked on Connor before placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"It's time to go," he announced. "Visiting hours are over."

Reluctantly Danny got and eyed Connor one last time before he followed Nick out of the room. "How's Abby doing?" he inquired.

"She's sleeping at the moment, but I suspect she'll be on her feet by tomorrow," Nick replied.

"Does she know?"

"About Connor? Only that he is up here, that's all," Nick answered. "If she could have done so, she would have been there. And I suspect tomorrow she will want to see him."

"Can't blame her for wanting to see him," Danny said. "She's a part of the team too, and the two live together. They watch out for each other."

"We all do," Cutter added. "As for you, go home and get some sleep. I'll call if anything changes."

Nick watched as Danny drove off, heading for home, before deciding to head back to the ARC. He'd heard that the anomalies were gone, but Lester was fuming over the whole situation. As Nick drove back, he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he would never fully understand Lester's way of thinking. First he doesn't expect anomalies to show up in specified areas, and now that that idea was shattered he wants a plan in place to prevent another incident like this from happening again.

He sighed as he pulled into the loading bay and climbed out of the truck. His mind was a jumbled mess of possible ideas tainted with exhaustion. He stopped to get a cup of coffee then returned to his office where he placed the cup on his desk, sat down and promptly fell asleep.

In the quiet night, Abby awoke and sat up once more. She looked at the tube that was attached to her arm and gently pulled it out, grimacing as she did so. She slid off the bed and walked into the hallway, fighting against the wave of nausea that tried to take hold of her stomach as she walked. She forced herself to focus and passed the unattended nurses station quickly, heading for the elevators.

She pushed the button and waited, looking about nervously, hoping she wouldn't be seen by any of the nurses. As the doors slid open, she stepped inside and pressed the button to take her to the floor with the ICU. The doors slid closed and began moving ever so smoothly. Leaning against the wall for support, exhaustion struggled to take control once more, but her determination to see Connor kept it at bay long enough for the elevator to stop and she stepped out.

Looking around, the ward was eerily quiet, with the nurses appearing to be on their rounds, and once again the station was empty. She slipped around the desk and flipped through the files looking for Connor's name, noting the room number as soon as she found it. A shock of fear shot through her when she caught sight of the condition he was listed in and her worries increased. Her teammate and friend was in bad shape, and she still didn't know the extent of his injuries. Again the blackness of exhaustion creped in around the edges of her vision, but her silent mantra kept her going some. The burst of adrenaline had helped but would soon wear off, and by then she wanted to be by his side.

She left the station and followed the signs to Connor's room. She paused in the doorway, peering in through the dim light and saw him lying in bed, equipment surrounding him, monitoring his condition. Stepping through the door, the light from the hall splashed across the bed, dim lighting his prone figure, wrapped in bandages that hid the severity of his injuries. Dark spots, hinting of dried blood, stained the bandages but that didn't stop the young woman from walking over to him.

"Oh Connor," Abby muttered softly, "what happened to you?" She carefully reached out, gently brushing her hand across his pale cheek. His hair was a disheveled mess, and she suspected that the only reason he looked so peaceful was because he was asleep. She could only imagine the agony he had suffered and was unable to hold back her tears.

She leaned over him, blinking away the tears as best as possible and watched as a few fell from her delicate face onto his cheeks, only to roll down and be absorbed by the pillow he lay on. "I'm here Connor," she whispered, hoping he could hear her.

Ever so slowly she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead tenderly. How she wished she had been there to help him, to hold his hand as they brought him to the hospital, and assure him that she would watch over him. She found the chair left behind by Danny, and pulled it close to the bed and sat down. Sleep was taking hold once more, and this time she knew it would win. She took Connor's hand in her own, squeezed it lovingly and rested her head on the bed.

"I won't leave you," she muttered as she drifted to sleep, her thoughts on the geeky young man whom she never quite understood, yet knew deep down that she loved.

As Abby drifted into sleep once more, she did not see Connor open his eyes. He looked down at her peaceful face, brought his free hand over to caress her face weakly and smiled. "I knew you would come," he mumbled falling back asleep.


End file.
